These days when you say the word "hybrid" most people think hybrid cars. However, the term means that two distinct species have bred or been bred to produce offspring. This has been around for a long time, possibly even thousands of years. There are a huge number of hybrid animals out there, most of which are because of man's interfering with nature and in the way they keep and breed animals.

There are a few problems with hybrid animals. First of all, most are sickly and don't survive. In other instances the hybrids are doing well and so many hybrids are being produced that finding a parent that doesn't have "mixed" blood is getting harder to do. This is happening to a wide number of parrot species as their habitats are being destroyed.

Of course, we could be witnessing the start of new species and in a way evolution itself. Some cases produce hybrid vigor where the offspring is of higher value, healthier, larger, and stronger then both of its parents. This is an important question and with all of these facts floating around it is hard to decide whether or not man's interference in nature is an issue, or if it is helping it along.

The Mule. The most popular hybrid of all time and for at least hundreds of years if not more then that is the mule. This animal is easy to produce from a mare (a female horse) and a jack (a male donkey). The animal that results is excellent for a work animal. Less stubborn then the donkey, less bulky and more compact then the horse, and able to carry loads even in precarious positions. This animal tends to be healthy and creating the offspring harms neither parent. The mule tends to be sterile with a few rare cases of female mules being able to produce offspring with either donkeys or horses. While the creation of the mule took place long ago, breeding continues since this animal can not breed within its own group. In many countries the mule is still used as a work animal and even in countries such as the United States were animals are rarely used for work purposes there is a growing number of enthusiasts who breed the animal for fun.

The Tigon and the Liger. These animals have fascinated people for hundreds of years. They are the resulting offspring of tigers and lions being bred. A tigon is a cat with a tiger father and a lion mother were a liger is a cat with a lion father and a tiger mother. Both cats have a tawny lion colored background covered with light stripping. They have many of the looks of a tiger and a mixed personality. The liger gets the most attention because while the tigon tends to be a dwarf with its size less then both of its parents, the ligon if a giant and the largest cat in the world. In the beginning breeding of these animals happened often in circuses and traveling animal shows as well as some early zoos. Others were bred on accent. In fact, one zoo claims to have bred a liger on accident as late as 1983. Now they are mostly bred illegally by private large cat owners and often end up in zoos and rescues because the private owners end up giving them up.

The Hybrid Pet Craze. Hybrid pets aren't all that new, but in many cases people work hard to get a hybrid. The wolfdog is no longer considered a hybrid with the reclassification of wolves and dogs, but for many years was the hybrid that many potential pet owners sought after. Now the craze is hybrid cats which come in a wide variety. They are bred from domestic cats and smaller wild cats and can be found in a wide range of styles, personalities, and prices.

Hybrid Birds. One of the only hybrids that is seen in nature, birds will often hybridize when nature forces them to. If their habitats are taken away or the bird finds itself alone without another bird of their own species many will bred with similar birds. This is very commonly seen in ducks. Where a local pond might be full of mixed ducks with odd colorations and even funny feathers. Many geese will also do this, especially the Canadian Goose who isn't very particular about who it breeds with. There have even been reporting of Geese and Swans cross breeding. Many of the offspring created from these mixes are infertile and won't reproduce. Some of the more similar species however can produce viable offspring which will then breed back into the general population.

All of it becomes complicated and it can be a fairly fascinating topic to get into. Sure it is hard to figure out what it really means for you, but spotting hybrid birds, checking out histories of hybrid animals, and learning about them can be downright fun!